


The Lines That Draw Me To You

by opal_libra



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, F/M, M/M, Slow Burn, the main focus is leokumi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-01-07 08:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12229404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opal_libra/pseuds/opal_libra
Summary: Soulmates are people who are destined to love one another forever; a perfect match, you could say. Everybody has their soulmate's first words to them written somewhere on their skin. They range from compliments to surprised hellos  - or, if your name is Takumi, to the hostile words "that's none of your business".So what happens when Princess Kamui's soulmate is a foreign prisoner of war?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really excited to finally be able to share this story - it's been a long time in the making! There will be quite a lot of ships, but almost all of them are minor background ones.  
> Anyway, without further ado, enjoy!

The soft  _ thwack _ of an arrow hitting its mark in the center of a target was the first thing to greet Hinoka when she entered the practice range to check on Takumi. She saw his eyes flicker over to her for a second. He shot one more arrow and then relaxed his stance, turning to face his sister.

“What’s the matter?” he asked a little more snappily than he meant to. It wasn’t his fault, he told himself, he just didn’t like being interrupted while he was training. Hinoka put a hand on her hip and raised one eyebrow. Takumi knew that pose well - he mentally braced himself for the teasing that was sure to follow.

“Can’t I come see how my baby brother is doing sometimes?” she asked with a playful smile. The corners of Takumi's mouth twitched downwards.

“I'm not a baby,” he said.

“Yeah you are.” Hinoka watched the color rise to Takumi’s cheeks for just a moment before giving in. “Alright, fine. I came to talk to you about something.”

“... Well?” Takumi prompted when his sister didn’t continue the thought.

“It’s just… I overheard Orochi and Kagero talking about their soulmates’ words, and it got me thinking.” She spoke slowly, and Takumi knew exactly why. He did not like where this was going. “Do you think the place where the mark is has any special meaning? Kagero was talking about how frustrating it was to have hers on her back, where she can’t easily see it - but then Saizo’s is on his chest. I wonder why some soulmates’ marks are in such different places.”

Takumi just rolled his eyes. This was nothing more than another one of Hinoka’s poorly-disguised attempts to discover the details of her little brother’s soulmate mark, and he wasn’t falling for it. It wasn't a topic he much enjoyed talking about - he felt like a soulmate's first words to you were something private, something between just the two soulmates. No amount of wheedling from Hinoka would persuade him to show her the back of his left hand, he’d decided that much a long time ago. The gloves on his hands were going to stay there, he thought as he tugged one of them back into place.

"I have no idea, and I don't know why you're asking me," he said.

“Just wanted your opinion, that's all,” said Hinoka lightly. That wasn’t the full truth, of course, but it wasn’t exactly a lie either. She honestly  _ was  _ curious about Takumi's thoughts on the topic of soulmates, even if that curiosity also extended to the details of Takumi's own words.

“Well, since you're asking, I think it does have some kind of meaning. I really don't know what it could be though.” Takumi's tone was a lot less unfriendly this time, which came as a relief to Hinoka. He was certainly the most stubborn member of their family; granted, she came second, but by quite the margin. She smiled.

“Hmm. I guess there's not really a way to find out, either,” she said.

“Guess not,” Takumi replied. A brief silence passed between them. Then, before Hinoka could say anything else, Takumi took another arrow from his quiver and strung his bow.  _ I guess the conversation is over then,  _ Hinoka thought.

“If that's all, mind letting me get back to practice?”

“Sure. I’ll see you at dinner, okay?” Hinoka called over her shoulder as she left the range.

“Yeah, sure,” said Takumi off-handedly. His focus had already gone back to his bow, Hinoka knew that much without turning around. While she made her way over to the stables, she wondered silently whether there wasn’t  _ some  _ way to get Takumi to open up about his soulmate’s words. Most people were all too eager to share, but not her little brother.

It wasn’t that she didn’t respect his privacy - on the contrary, she’d never even considered sneaking a peek at the tattoo when Takumi was asleep or anything like that. At this point, she just wanted to know for the sake of knowing, and to prove to Takumi that there was nothing to be ashamed of.  _ If he even is ashamed. It’s always hard to tell with him,  _ she thought.

She wondered what it was about Takumi’s words that made him want to conceal them so badly in the first place. Her own words, written in elegant script along her calf, were a bit outside of the norm, but she liked them well enough. It was fairly obvious where she’d meet her soulmate. After all, she thought as she rounded the corner into the stables, there were only so many places where the first thing you’d hear from someone would be-

“What a breathtaking pegasus,” a young man with hair as fiery red as her own said. Hinoka froze up completely.

“Thank you, I groom her myself” she finally managed to say. The stranger’s eyes widened.

 

Elise giggled as she ran along the hallway towards the library. She almost bumped into Felicia, but she managed to dodge the clumsy maid just in time, shouting a quick 'sorry' over her shoulder. When she finally reached the wooden double doors, she slowed down, pausing for a quick moment to catch her breath before going inside.

“Leo!” she shouted. Everyone in the library automatically looked over at the person who had interrupted the quiet; Elise gasped and covered her mouth, lowering her voice to a stage whisper. “Leo, you’ve got to hear this.”

“There's no need to be so loud, I can hear you just fine,” came her brother's grumpy reply from the next row of books.

“There you are,” Elise said, hurrying over to Leo and giving him a bright smile. He sighed, replacing a book on the shelf, and turned his attention to his little sister.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Kamui found her soulmate!” Elise chirruped. Leo raised an eyebrow. That had not exactly been the answer he had been expecting - sure, it explained why Elise was so excited, but it was not generally difficult to get her to feel that way about  _ any  _ good news. Then again, he supposed he should be excited for his older sister too. A small smile (more of a smirk, really) graced Leo's lips as he replied.

“And who's the lucky man?”

“He's…” Elise frowned, glanced around, and beckoned for Leo to come closer. He didn't see what the fuss was, but he leaned in all the same, letting his sister whisper in his ear. “He's one of the prisoners that was brought in the other day. Tall, handsome, a ninja, and, um, Hoshidan.”

Leo considered that fact for a moment. Of all people, Kamui had to be fated to be with not just a commoner, but a Hoshidan one, and a prisoner of war no less. She really did have the devil’s own luck, he thought to himself with an inward sigh. Now the question would be how to conceal this newfound knowledge from their father.

“Where is Kamui now?” he asked.

“In the dungeons, 'patrolling' so she can speak to him. Camilla's covering for her,” said Elise. The excited spark returned to her eyes. “Which reminds me! I've gotta go tell Xander. See you later, Leo!”

With that, she raced back out of the library. Leo shook his head. Sure, he was glad that one of his siblings had found her soulmate, but the fact that he was a Hoshidan prisoner of war was almost bad enough news to outweigh the good news. If Kamui was to meet her soulmate, only to lose him in the next instant… No, as her brother, Leo could never allow that. He decided he would have to formulate a plan to keep Kamui and her soulmate safe, but the details were still very blurry.

_ Xander and Camilla will surely have some ideas already,  _ he thought. In all likelihood they would both be in or near the dungeons by the time Leo would get there, so he put his studies on hold and headed out of the library.

On his way to the dungeons, his mind already began running through some of the ways they might save Kamui’s soulmate from dying at the hands of King Garon. None of the prospects looked particularly bright - he made a mental note not to mention that to Kamui under any circumstance though. This was a dangerous situation by nature. Making Kamui anxious would only hinder their chances. For the moment, the best thing he could do was plaster on a smile and keep the planning between himself and his two oldest siblings.

The magical library, Leo’s favorite, was in a high tower on the opposite end of the castle from the part he wanted to get to. It was a long enough walk (he was not about to raise anyone’s suspicions by moving any quicker than a leisurely amble) that his mind began to wander a little.

Kamui’s wrist, he knew, had the words “... Princess Kamui?” - complete with the punctuation marks - written on it. Whoever her soulmate was, he was bound to be of a lower social rank than she was. Normally that would be seen as a bad thing, but that just meant that he was, at the very least, not a Hoshidan royal. Leo scoffed. From what he’d heard, the Hoshidan royals were largely airheaded anyway, not to mention arrogant. Kamui would be better off with this ninja of hers.

… Which brought him around to the question of his own soulmate.

Everybody wondered who their soulmate could be, that much was a given. Many books and plays had been written on the subject. He’d only recently been to see a performance of one such play in Cyrkensia with his father and his retainers. That did not, however, answer the question of who his soulmate was, or when they would meet. Leo didn’t appreciate that uncertainty.

Odin, Leo recalled, had apparently known his soulmate since he was quite young. Wherever Odin had come from, he’d had to leave that soulmate and childhood friend behind when he came here, but Odin never doubted he would see him again. Once, when Leo had asked, Odin had shown him his words - “it’s not like I was crying or anything” was written in sloppy writing on Odin’s arm. Leo found it strange, but Odin seemed proud enough of it.

Niles was the complete opposite. He’d never given his soulmate mark much thought and he’d certainly never gone looking for them. To him, the words written on his body (“do you need something?”) were just another fact of life, nothing more and nothing less.

Though Leo would deny it if anyone asked, he’d spent much time wondering about the nature of the words on his right palm. After all, the words “what are you doing here?” left much to the imagination.

 

Takumi found himself feeling distracted the rest of that day.

No matter how he thought about it, something about the whole concept of soulmates rubbed him the wrong way. For starters, who even assigned people to each other in the first place? And what if you and your soulmate both just had the word “hello” written on your skin - how would you ever be certain you’d found the right person then? No, the whole idea was too vague and opened up too many possibilities for serious mistakes. Takumi told himself he wanted nothing to do with it.

He fired his shot and barely hit the target at all. Gritting his teeth, he resisted the urge to throw his bow on the ground and quit, picking up another arrow and focusing hard on the center of the target instead.

Why was Hinoka so obsessed with finding out about his tattoo anyway? In Takumi’s opinion, soulmate tattoos were something private to be shared between you and your soulmate. He really didn’t see the need to go sharing them with other people simply for the sake of it. Besides, everyone was different and there was no reason to compare their marks. Some were compliments (like Sakura’s “you’re very pretty”), some gave a clue to the situation that the soulmates would meet under. Still others even included names. As for Takumi’s, well…

His arrow hit the outermost ring. Takumi sighed.

“I need to let this go,” he said to himself. Of course, that was easier said than done. Even without Hinoka prying, he spent enough time wondering why his words had to be  _ that  _ in particular. It had always bothered him that some people had something as interesting as Kagero’s “I’ve heard about you”, or Oboro’s “here, let me help you” while he was stuck staring at the same unfriendly words he’d always wondered about.

On the back of his left hand, in a very elegant looping script, were the words “that's none of your business”.

He reached for another arrow just as Hinata came running into the range, waving his arms about wildly. Oboro was chasing him, clearly trying to get him to stop making a scene, but Hinata reached Takumi first.

“You’re not gonna believe this!” he yelled as soon as he was within range.

“Believe what?” said Takumi, putting his bow down and facing his retainers. Hinata came to a stop in front of Takumi, took two deep breaths, and was immediately whacked on the back of the head by Oboro. Before he had the chance to complain, she stepped up and delivered the news.

“Princess Hinoka found her soulmate earlier today,” she announced. Takumi was glad he’d put his bow down, because he would have dropped it otherwise.

“Seriously? Who is it?” he asked.

“You know how Sakura’s got that new retainer? The one that just got here yesterday?” said Hinata. “Yeah, him. His name’s Subaki, he’s a pegasus knight and his hair’s almost as bright red as Hinoka’s. Apparently he’s real handsome too, but I only got a quick look at him before I ran here.”

“... I can’t believe it,” Takumi muttered half to himself. Of all days for this to happen, it had to be right when she’d just been trying to talk to him about the whole topic. Then again, finding her own soulmate would definitely take Hinoka’s mind off bugging Takumi about his for the next little while, which was a very good thing. He shook his head and addressed his retainers again.

“So what happens next?”

“I think she wanted to introduce him to everyone,” Oboro said.

“Right, but Sakura’s coming along ‘cause he’s her retainer and all that. C’mon, I’m sure they’ll be looking for you by now!” Hinata added, grabbing Takumi’s wrist and dragging him off towards a different part of the castle. Oboro chased after them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at the second chapter! Things start to get more complicated from here... Anyway, hope you enjoy!

It had been three days now since Leo had met Kaze, Kamui’s soulmate. During that time, he and his eldest siblings had taken turns making up excuses to be near the dungeons so they could keep a lookout for Kamui, who could not be pried away from Kaze. Apparently, they had much to talk about. There was something about Kaze having seen her once before - Leo didn’t know the details and didn’t think to ask. He was too busy planning for the eventual possibility of King Garon discovering the truth about the nature of his sister’s soulmate.

Elise had asked him earlier that day what would happen if they  _ weren’t  _ found out. That question ran through Leo’s mind over and over, but he arrived at no conclusions. What  _ could  _ happen? At best, Kaze would remain in prison for the foreseeable future; at worst, he would be sentenced to death.  _ And then what? _

Camilla had been the first to hesitantly suggest that they try and convince Kamui to part with her soulmate. Despite initially being supportive of the idea, Xander was the one to dismiss it once he’d spent an hour or two with Kamui and Kaze.

“They truly love one another. Nothing should come between that,” he’d said when Leo had prodded him on the subject.

… Which created more questions than it answered. If Kamui and Kaze were to have a future together, something would have to be done about Kaze’s status as a prisoner. King Garon was not likely to be happy at the idea of one of his children being involved with a Hoshidan, but at least they would stand a chance at talking him around to the idea of it if he could present himself as a humble traveler, or better yet, a minor nobleman. But how were they to accomplish that? Leo and his siblings were painfully aware of how unlikely it was that Garon would ever release one of his precious prisoners of war.

Xander had vowed to speak to their father to see whether he couldn’t persuade him to perhaps swap his prisoners with those that Hoshido held captive. Camilla, Elise, and Kamui all seemed to have a lot of faith in the potential of this solution. Neither Leo nor Xander did, though Xander at least made an effort to pretend. The whole situation gave Leo a creeping feeling that something very bad was going to happen very soon.

As it turned out, he was correct.

Dinnertime had already come and gone when King Garon summoned all of his children to meet with him. Leo immediately sensed that something was off, but accepted the request with a polite smile all the same. There was very little else one  _ could  _ do when it came to King Garon, after all, and the last thing anyone wanted was to give him any reason to be irritated with his children.

Leo arrived outside the designated room and was greeted by Xander and Kamui. Xander’s usual neutral mask was in place; Kamui looked rather nervous. Leo put a hand on her shoulder.

“Come now, sister,” he said. “That’s no way to face Father.”

“I know, it’s just…” she started to say, but just then Elise and Camilla came up and joined them. Elise wasted no time in throwing her arms around Kamui.

“Hey, big sis! I wonder what this whole thing is about? Father isn’t angry, is he? No, we haven’t done anything wrong - maybe he just wants to see his family!” She spoke very quickly, putting on a convincing show of being as cheerful as ever, but Leo knew better. Elise was even more nervous than Kamui in that moment. Camilla laughed fondly.

“Elise, don’t suffocate our dear Kamui,” she chastised jokingly, making to pry Elise off her sister.

“I’m not, I’m just hugging her! Right, sis?”

“Um, right,” said Kamui. A small smile was now playing at her lips.

It quickly vanished when a servant opened the large double doors and announced that the King was ready to receive them now. Elise let go of Kamui, but took her hand before they all filed into the room.

Inside, a large open space awaited them. At the far end of the room was a raised platform with one of Garon’s lesser thrones on it, where he sat peering down at them. Seeing all of his children assembled and saluting him with a bow, he grinned. Leo’s stomach churned uneasily; the feeling that something was awry intensified.

“Kamui, I’ve heard from Xander that your skill with a sword has improved. I am proud of you, my daughter,” he announced. Kamui had the good sense to smile at the praise.

“Thank you, Father,” she said, bowing yet again. Garon leaned forward in his chair.

“As your father, I want to see a demonstration of just  _ how  _ much better you’ve gotten.” He flicked his wrist and a door was opened on the right side of the room. Several of his prisoners, missing their iron chains but flanked by two guards each to compensate, marched through the doors.  _ Gods, here it comes,  _ Leo thought as he realized what was going to happen next. Sure enough, just as Kamui was preparing to draw her blade, the guards brought Kaze out. He had been following along obediently enough, offering no resistance; then he looked up and met Kamui’s eyes. Both of them froze.

“Show me your skills,” Garon continued, “by putting your blade to use against this Hoshidan filth.”

Leo prayed to any god that would listen for his sister to keep her mouth shut and obey.

“Of course, Father,” Kamui said after just a split second’s hesitation. That should really have brought some relief to her siblings, but all of them remained tense as they watched her fight. Something still felt horribly off - Leo tried to ignore the warning bells ringing in his head, but they were a lot louder than usual today.

Once all of the prisoners had been defeated, Kamui sheathed her sword and turned to Garon, bowing low once more.

“I have bested all of them in combat, Father,” she started to say, but King Garon did not let her get any further than that.

“Well, what are you waiting for, idiot girl? Kill them already,” he barked, and everything began to fall apart.

“But, Father, they're defeated and unable to defend themselves!” she protested. A chill swept through the room that left Leo and all his siblings rooted in place. He struggled to think up a way for this situation  _ not  _ to end with Kamui’s untimely execution - that was the standard price for anyone who disobeyed the King to pay, and Garon did not much like to make exceptions for anyone. No matter how Leo thought about it, Kamui’s chances looked awfully grim. He felt sick as he watched his father’s countenance twist in anger.

“What?” Garon bellowed, his voice ringing out even louder than it had before. “I order you to kill them. Do it now, or face the consequences!”

“Father, no, you can’t!” Kamui shook her head, moving to stand in front of the prisoners.

“How dare you defy your father? I am the king, and you will do as I say. Draw your sword and finish them off  _ immediately,  _ or share in their wretched fate. Do you understand me, child?”

“I refuse to kill them!” Kamui declared.

Silence rung out. Nobody dared to move a muscle for what could not have been more than three uncomfortable seconds, although it felt more like three minutes.

None of the scenarios Leo had come up with had been quite this bad. Garon’s face was starting to go red with fury, but Kamui didn’t so much as waver. She stared him down like a seasoned warrior, not budging an inch; this only angered Garon even further. His frown deepened and he leaned further forward in his chair. Leo felt rather than saw Elise make to take a step forward; he never heard her foot connect with the ground, so he could only assume that Camilla was stopping her. Xander stood beside him, his whole body rigid with tension. None of them wanted for things to end this way, but with no way to communicate, it was impossible to coordinate a plan.

An idea shot through Leo’s head. It was not the most intricate thing he’d ever come up with, but there was no time for second thoughts. Allowing no space for hesitation, he took out Brynhildr and cast a powerful-looking spell on the prisoners. All of them gave a short cry before collapsing to the ground and remaining there, motionless. Leo put his most pleasant smile on.

“Father, I have taken care of the prisoners on behalf of my soft-hearted sister,” he said, dismissing the idea of “taking care” of them as if it were something he enjoyed. “Please forgive her; she’s never seen real combat before.”

Much to Leo's relief, Garon's expression calmed somewhat. He nodded once and got up from his chair, saying something about having more important matters to attend to. The last thing he did was leave Xander with the order to “clean this place up” before marching off with Iago trailing behind him. The Nohrian siblings let out a collective sigh of relief. Kamui ran over to Leo with tears stinging her eyes.

“Leo, you-” she began, but Leo cut her off.

“- Weakened them with my spell, yes,” he said with a smirk. “Come on, dear sister, did you really think I would murder your soulmate in cold blood?”

Kamui's eyes lit up as a smile crept onto her face. She threw her arms around Leo, who quickly became very flustered, patting her back awkwardly. After thanking her brother about a million times, Kamui stepped back, smiled at him once more, and ran to her soulmate's side. She dropped to her knees beside him and took his hand.

“Kaze, how are you feeling?” she asked, worry painted across her features.

“I've been better,” he replied lightly, trying hard to hide his pain from her, “but it's nothing to worry about. I'll recover.”

Xander strode over to them in three quick paces. He wore a grim expression and didn’t allow them more than a moment’s quick hug before saying his part.

“You two have to leave the kingdom right away. There’s no time to lose. If Father discovers that Leo lied about finishing the prisoners off, his life will be on the line right along with both of yours - though I really doubt any of us can save you anymore, little princess. You certainly made a show of standing up to Father.”

“I had to!” Kamui cut in. Camilla fixed her with a sad look.

“Dear, you know that Xander isn’t trying to scold you. He’s merely saying what all of us are thinking,” she said. Silence fell again.

“If there was anything I could do to keep you in Nohr with your family, I would have done it, little princess,” Xander continued in a softer tone than before. “I wish we could all stay together, and I vow to you that I will do everything in my power to bring you back to us soon. But until then, you and Kaze have to flee if you wish to keep your lives.”

“We can cover for your absence,” Leo added. It wasn’t much, but he felt he had to say  _ something _ .

Kamui tried to speak, but no words would come out. It was clear that she knew her siblings were right; that didn’t make the thought of leaving them any easier to swallow. Her eyes darted between Kaze and her family before settling on Xander. He met her gaze and after a heartbeat of silence, Kamui began to nod slowly. Before she could say anything, Kaze pulled himself into a sitting position and placed a gentle hand on her arm, startling her into turning to look at him.

“Please, could I have just one moment to discuss this with Kamui?” Kaze asked. Xander nodded his approval and Kaze wasted no time in putting his arms around Kamui again. She buried her face in his chest, shoulders shaking, and Leo felt he had no choice but to look away.

Elise tugged at Leo’s sleeve. When he looked down at her, her eyes were glued to Kamui’s back.

“She won’t really have to go forever, will she?” Elise asked quietly. Leo really did not know how to answer that question without upsetting his little sister, so he settled for patting her shoulder sympathetically. Thankfully, Camilla overheard and quickly provided the response Elise wanted to hear.

“Of course not, darling. Kamui will be back with us before you know it,” Camilla said in her most soothing voice. Leo had a hunch that Camilla was even more worried about Kamui leaving than the rest of them - she did tend to dote on her family very much, after all, and Kamui had always been within a few days’ reach in the Northern Fortress. The thought of her suddenly being very far away was disconcerting, to say the least. Leo made a point of looking at a spot on the wall instead of at any of his family members lest they read the conflicting emotions off his face. Time ticked by uncomfortably slowly in the room that was beginning to feel far too small to hold all of them. Finally, Kamui stood up.

“I’ve made my decision,” she said in a steady voice. “Xander is right, I cannot stay here and hope to live in peace. Kaze and I will grab what we can and head to Hoshido as soon as we’re able to - Kaze is from a clan of ninjas and he’s certain they can grant me a temporary place to stay. I… I will leave as soon as I have my things, but I swear to you that I’ll come back the moment it’s safe for me to do so.”

“We’re glad to hear it,” Xander said right away, offering Kamui a rare smile.

Kaze, meanwhile, had managed to struggle to his feet. He took Kamui’s hand and stood by her side, quietly supporting her as she made what was sure to be the toughest decision of her life so far. A beat passed and Camilla rushed forward to give her younger sister a tight hug.

“I’m going to miss you terribly, darling,” said Camilla.

“I’ll miss you too, all of you.” Kamui was fighting to keep her voice from cracking, but the steadiness from before was already starting to waver. She smiled at them. Leo looked closely enough to notice her lips trembling as she did so; if nobody did anything to hurry the situation along, Kamui and Elise were both certain to start crying, and then the task of sneaking Kamui out of the palace would become twice as difficult. Kamui looked at Xander and tried to say something about another way for things to end, so Leo took that as his cue to step in.

“This is the only way for you to live in safety,” he said. “What kind of family would we be if we let you stay in harm’s way?”

“Oh, Leo…” Tears welled up in Kamui’s eyes and Leo wondered what he’d done wrong to make his sister cry. Xander stepped forward and put a hand on Kamui’s shoulder.

“Come now, little princess. Save your tears. We’ll all be reunited before long, I promise you. For now, hurry upstairs and take only what you need - the sooner you and Kaze leave this place, the better it will be for you,” said Xander gently. Kamui swallowed hard, but nodded, rushing past her family towards the doors that would take her along the fastest route to the tower where her bedroom was.

A deafening silence fell when the doors shut behind her.

“I don’t want her to go,” Elise said finally. The others all looked at her.

“None of us do, dear. But as her siblings, we have to protect her - even if I doubt Father wants to do her harm, I know he would not hesitate to end her life if she tried to defy him again. If… if she’s safer elsewhere, then it’s for the best,” Camilla replied. It was clear now that Leo had been correct in guessing that Kamui’s upcoming departure was hitting Camilla the hardest. Leo mentally kicked himself for standing there and watching his sisters trying to console each other without being able to do anything himself.

 

The goodbyes came and went too quickly.

One moment, Kamui was standing right there with them, giving everyone a final hug before she left indefinitely, and the next she was rushing off into the night with Kaze. Leo and his remaining siblings stood quietly together, watching Kamui’s retreat until she was completely out of sight before trooping back into the castle. Camilla took Elise by the hand and left without another word to the other two.

The castle felt colder than usual when Leo and Xander walked towards Leo’s favorite library together. They barely spoke a word to one another all the way; neither of them were in much of a mood to chat. It was only when they were within sight of the large double doors of the library that Xander finally spoke.

“Tell me something, Leo. There was something troubling you while we said our goodbyes, was there not?” he asked quietly.

_ That came out of nowhere,  _ Leo thought to himself; he masked his surprise with a thin smile. It was true that something had felt off, but Leo had tried his best to dismiss the feeling and chalked it up to separation anxiety, for the most part.

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to,” he said.

“It’s just the two of us - you can be honest with me,” Xander prompted. Seeing no reaction from Leo, he tried a different approach. “I’ll put it another way then. Does it not bother you that a  _ clan _ \- and a Hoshidan one at that - would be so willing to take our sister, a Nohrian royal, in?”

“Actually, I was thinking the same thing.” Leo crossed his arms and continued looking straight ahead as he thought about it.

“Then I’m glad not to be the only one. I’m quite sure Kamui wouldn’t lie to us, but I can’t help wondering if there isn’t something more going on that we’re unaware of.”

“Let’s not think too hard about it,” Leo said quickly. “If Kamui is hiding something from us, then it’s surely only for our own safety. Or perhaps - and this is the more likely option - she doesn’t know the full truth of where she’s going herself. One thing is certain though, and that’s the fact that she’s still our sister. She would not lie, as you said, and I’ve never heard of soulmates deliberately deceiving or hurting each other, so I suppose we’ll have to trust Kaze.”

He wasn’t even entirely sure whether it was Xander he was trying to convince, or himself.

Later, when his candles burned low and he was distracted from his studies by the sound of Odin snoring softly instead of working his way through the thick and ancient tome that lay before him, Leo was struck with an entirely different thought. Xander certainly had a point - it was strange that a Hoshidan ninja clan would be ready to offer a Nohrian noble asylum. But what seemed even more odd was the fact that  _ Xander,  _ of all people, had been the first to approve of Kamui’s suggestion of her going to Hoshido in the first place. Wasn’t he supposed to be the most opposed to Hoshido, out of all of the royal siblings? Leo thought about it for a while, but came to no conclusions. He decided he’d just have to bring it up to his brother at a later point.

 

It had been just over two weeks since Hinoka and Subaki had met. Ever since, the castle had been positively buzzing - everyone wanted to know the latest news on the progression of their relationship, and nobody seemed to want to actually ask Hinoka or Subaki about it. Takumi had spent the past week sneaking around the castle like some kind of intruder for fear of being hassled by curious maids who assumed that since he was Hinoka’s brother, he’d automatically know everything about the details of her love life for some reason. Needless to say, he hated it.

The only time when Takumi got some peace of mind was when everyone else had already gone to sleep. That night in particular was a good one for taking walks, with stars twinkling overhead and a soft breeze blowing from the west. It was calm.

“Hey, Takumi!” shouted Hinata.

“Can you keep it down for once?” Takumi said, but as usual, his words fell on deaf ears. When Hinata got close enough to see, Takumi crossed his arms and rolled his eyes fondly, but even that went largely unnoticed. Hinata looked like he wanted to say something, but Oboro beat him to it, fixing him with a look.

“You’re supposed to address him properly. It’s ‘milord’ or ‘Lord Takumi’, remember?” she said exasperatedly. Hinata shrugged.

“Anyway, we saw you walking around all by yourself and thought we’d come see if everything was alright, but it looks like you’re all good.” A moment of silence fell between the three of them before Hinata spoke again. “The stars are really bright tonight, huh?”

“If you asked Orochi, she’d say something mysterious about the heavens giving us a signal without ever quite saying what  _ kind  _ of signal,” Oboro said with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Takumi couldn’t help but smile a little as well. That did indeed sound very much like something Orochi would do, and it was always nice to hear Oboro talking about her soulmate with that particular look in her eyes. She was one of the few people who never felt the need to shove the fact that they had found their soulmate in anyone’s face. It made it that much sweeter when she drifted onto the topic without thinking about it, Takumi reckoned.

“What kind of signal would you say the heavens are giving us then, if you had to guess?” he asked. Oboro thought it over for a moment.

“I’m… really not sure. It’s hard enough to tell when Orochi’s kidding in the first place, let alone when the things she calls omens are actually omens. I think she messes with me more than I’m usually aware of.”

“Maybe they’re saying that we’re all thinking about this too hard,” Hinata suggested with a wink. “Or maybe they’re telling us to go on an adventure together!”

“Right, sure.” Takumi put on a sarcastic tone.

“Well, I mean, it could always be a sign that you’re gonna meet your soulmate soon,” Hinata then said. A teasing grin was slowly making its way onto his lips and Takumi did not like it one bit. He frowned. Though he’d deny it (vehemently) if anyone told him so, a pout was beginning to form on his lips.

“Like hell it is. There’s no way to know  _ when  _ we’ll meet our soulmates - if there was, people would just get the diviners to figure it out for them and then not worry about it anymore.”

“True, but-” Hinata started to say, but Oboro held up her hand suddenly. Her shoulders were tense as she stared at a spot in the nearby trees bordering the outer courtyard they were standing in. She narrowed her eyes. Takumi and Hinata both put their hands on their weapons and prepared for a skirmish. For all the loveliness of the night, it didn’t provide enough light for them to be able to tell at this distance what might be lurking among the trees.

“Who’s there?” Takumi called out in his most authoritative voice, straightening his back and squaring his shoulders. “You face the second prince of Hoshido. Show yourself!”

There was some more rustling and two shadowy figures stepped out from among the trees. It took a moment for them to step into the light, but once they did, Takumi and both of his retainers did a double take. Before them stood Kaze, who had been taken prisoner by Nohrian forces well over a month ago, together with a young woman whom Takumi didn’t recognize. She had long pale hair and piercingly red eyes. As soon as Kaze got close enough to Takumi, he dropped to one knee.

“Lord Takumi. I apologize for startling you - we had to approach quietly in case we were being followed,” he explained.

Oboro and Hinata both visibly relaxed. Their lord, however, was not done asking questions.

“And who is this woman that’s come all the way with you?” he asked, his eyes on the stranger and his voice laced with mistrust. She just bowed to him politely.

“I’m sorry to intrude on your castle without warning, but I promise I can explain the whole situation later, and that I mean you no harm,” she said. “My name is Kamui. I am the second princess of Nohr, and Kaze’s soulmate.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 3! I was hoping to have this up last weekend, but uni work got in the way. Anyway, enjoy!

**** The night that Kamui and Kaze arrived in Hoshido, there was a buzz all throughout the castle. Nobody knew quite what to do with a Nohrian royal, even if she  _ was  _ Kaze’s soulmate; for lack of how else to handle the situation, the two of them were taken to Orochi. There seemed to be a vague general consensus that a diviner would be the most likely bet for a person with a good idea on what to do. Orochi’s solution was, as it turned out, to bring the two of them straight to her liege, the Queen. When she reached the throne room, she didn’t even have time to begin to explain the situation before Mikoto rushed to Kamui’s side and drew her into a warm hug. Kamui stood frozen in surprise.

It took much of the rest of that night for Mikoto to explain the truth of her daughter’s birth to her. All the while her mother spoke, Kamui listened quietly, interrupting only when she didn’t understand something. Partway through the explanation, Ryoma came to check on Mikoto and recognized Kamui immediately. He stayed with them to assist in telling the full story, a fond smile slipping onto his face as he talked about the brief period when he’d known Kamui. She did not smile once.

Finally, when all the explanations had been given, Kamui cleared her throat and addressed her newfound family.

“Thank you for everything you’ve told me tonight,” she said. “This is all pretty shocking - I mean, I had no idea that my Nohrian siblings weren’t my family by blood… But I am grateful that you’ve helped me see the truth, however hard it is to accept.” There was still no trace of a smile to be found on her face, though she was clearly not trying to be unkind towards Mikoto and Ryoma. The memory of having to leave the only family she had ever known behind to run away with Kaze was still fresh in her mind, and finding out that those people were not even the blood relatives she had always taken them to be was not helping her heal from that pain. She looked at Ryoma and wondered what Xander would say if he were there.

_ Xander…  _ Try though she might, she couldn’t move past the thought of him, nor could she bear to think of him as anything but her older brother. Blood or no blood, the Nohrian royal siblings were her family. Nothing would ever change that for Kamui.

“I understand that you must be feeling many things right now,” Mikoto said, interrupting Kamui’s train of thoughts. “Please know that you are welcome to take all the time you need to process everything we have told you. Think of this castle as your home.”

“Kamui, I hope you know that we are all delighted to have you here,” Ryoma added. He had not said much since arriving in the room - at least, not since talking about knowing a much younger Kamui many years ago and recounting memories of which Kamui had no recollection whatsoever. It gave her an unpleasant lurching feeling in her stomach to realize how much more of her past she must not have access to. Nonetheless, she faced Ryoma with warmth in her eyes.

“I appreciate that, Ryoma. … Er, that is,  _ lord  _ Ryoma.”

“There’s really no need for such formalities. I am your brother, after all,” said Ryouma lightly, a smile still lingering on his face.

“I apologize for interrupting, but might Princess Hinoka and Princess Sakura not want to see their sister?” Kaze asked. Realization dawned in Mikoto’s eyes and she laughed softly, a gentle sound that surprised Kamui with how familiar it felt.

“Indeed they would,” she said. “And I do believe Takumi hasn’t had the chance to say more than a few passing words to Kamui. Orochi, would you be so kind as to summon my daughters and my younger son?”

“Princess Hinoka will be thrilled,” Kaze told Kamui. She gave him a curious look.

“What’s she like?” asked Kamui. Kaze had to take a moment to think about how best to answer the question, but finally he settled on saying that she was a kind person with a tenacious personality. Ryoma cut in to mention that Hinoka had been looking for ways to retrieve her sister from Nohr all these years; Kamui was entirely lost for how she was supposed to feel about that. It was sweet, that was for sure, but what if she could not measure up to the image all of her newfound family seemed to have built up of her? And Sakura was born after Kamui had been taken away - what if Sakura didn’t like her?

The sound of the doors bursting open took Kamui out of her spiralling thoughts.

“Kamui, is… Is that really you?” asked a tall fiery-haired girl whom Kamui assumed must be Hinoka. Kamui nodded, and before she had a chance to say anything, Hinoka rushed forwards and put her arms around her, sobbing as she did so. Kamui awkwardly patted Hinoka’s back.

“I looked for you - I’ve spent so long searching for you, and now you’re here!”

“Um, yes,” said Kamui with all the enthusiasm she could muster. She had a feeling that she’d get along well with Hinoka, but right now, she was very overwhelmed. Glancing behind Hinoka, Kamui spotted a younger girl hesitating to move any closer. Only when Hinoka released Kamui did she finally take a decisive step towards Kamui.

"”U-um, big sister, I'm happy to meet you. My name is Sakura,” she said, smiling nervously. Something told Kamui that Sakura had practiced that line many times. Kamui instantly took a liking to her.

“Me too, Sakura. You probably know this, but my name is Kamui.” Her little sister’s smile grew.

While they all shared brief stories and excited conversations, Takumi slinked into the room through the open doors. He made his way over to the corner of the room unnoticed, where he stood with his arms crossed and mistrust written plainly across his face. He didn't know what the deal was with this supposed sister of his, but he did know that she had spent her whole life in Nohr. Surely that meant that she counted among the Nohrians. His siblings and even his mother could say what they wanted, but he wasn't going to roll out the welcome wagon for any Nohrian, even if it was his long-lost sister.

_ Ugh, look at them all acting like they couldn't possibly be happier, _ he thought to himself. Or rather, he tried to convince himself that it was contempt he felt, and not cold loneliness.

 

Castle Krakenburg had felt a lot emptier ever since Kamui had left. It had been clear from the start that they would all be missing her, but nobody could have expected the cloud of gloom that had settled where her cheerful presence had once been. According to the calculations Leo would deny having made, Kamui would have arrived in Hoshido by now, provided she had not gotten lost. Leo wondered how she was doing and whether she was thinking about her family back here in Nohr.  _ She’s probably doing just fine without any of us, _ he caught himself thinking. He shook his head, feeling a bit of disgust with himself for even having such thoughts, and forced himself to focus on the book that was open in his lap.

About half an hour later, the door to the library opened with a bang. Leo rolled his eyes, wondering who was deciding to interrupt the peace of the library with such unnecessary loudness this time - Odin or Elise. Really, he was surprised that the two of them weren’t soulmates, what with how neither of them seemed to know how to keep calm or be quiet.

“Lord Leo!”  _ Well, that answers the question of who it is,  _ Leo thought. “I fear that today I must play the role of the harbinger of dark tidings!”

“And what kinds of dark tidings are they?” Leo asked. He couldn’t deny that Odin’s theatrics were somewhat amusing.

“The, um, the dark kind! You see, milord, your father has issued our Trio of Destiny” (that term referred to Leo and his two retainers, and Odin took every possible chance he had to use it) “with the order to embark upon a most perilous quest. We are to journey eastwards, in the direction of the fated lands of-”

“King Garon is sending us on a mission to a city-state within Hoshido, milord,” Niles interrupted, giving Odin a smirk. Odin pouted.

“Niles, I was  _ getting  _ there!” he complained, but Niles just shrugged.

“You were taking too long. Milord, the King says the three of us are to depart before the sun sets today. I hate to rush you, but we should start preparing for travel right away.” As always, Leo and Odin were both very aware of how different Niles’ tone was when he spoke to Leo as opposed to the teasing grin he never seemed to drop where Odin was concerned. Odin often said that Niles just liked to take the fun out of everything, which Niles always agreed with. Usually he also made snide comments about putting a different kind of fun into things, but not around Leo.

“We should. I will speak with Father about the details. You two, make sure we have food and supplies ready.” With a wave of his hand, Leo dismissed his retainers as he headed towards the throne room.

From that point onwards, it took remarkably little time for the trio to prepare for their upcoming travels. By the time the afternoon drew to a close, their small party were already well on their way towards Hoshido, traveling on horseback to shorten the time it would take them to get there. Leo rode in the middle, with his retainers on either side, and as usual, Odin was pretending not to be afraid of falling off. Now and then, Niles would tease Odin about it, but Leo mostly tuned the two of them out in favor of focusing on his thoughts and the path ahead.

_ Kamui is in Hoshido.  _ The words repeated themselves a hundred times over in Leo’s mind, despite his best efforts at drowning them out. He told himself that just because they were in the same country, it didn’t mean that they would have a chance to meet each other. Hoshido had a lot of territory, after all, and Leo had no idea where Kaze’s family lived.

No amount of reason could kill the spark of hope he felt though.

The trio rode on until the sun was just on the verge of dipping below the horizon. Only then did they make their first stop in a town with a handful of inns and a small market street; it wasn’t any place Leo had been to before, but Odin reassured him that he’d come through here a few times on missions already. They went into town and walked their houses to the fanciest inn, which was shown to them by a member of the town’s guard. Once they were just outside they dismounted. Odin took the horses to the stables while Niles went to the market street to grab some extra supplies just in case. The owner of the inn came outside to greet Leo very cordially and show him to the nicest rooms the place had to offer.

Leo did not miss the way everyone he glanced at looked away quickly to avoid meeting his eye, nor did he miss the slight tremble in the inn owner’s hands. He wondered just how poor of a name his family had out here.

The room was nothing like the elegant and spacious one Leo slept in at Castle Krakenburg, but it was warm. He appreciated that. It felt a lot cosier than any part of the castle ever did.

Leo took a seat on the largest of the three beds in the room and stared out of the window, not really taking in the scenery at all. His mind was far away, dwelling on the thought of Kamui and how she must be doing. He couldn’t help but wonder how she was doing, and how her journey had been, and above all, whether she was safe. Letting out a sigh, Leo ran his marked hand through his hair, but not even the letters on it could distract him from worrying about his sister.

“Milord?” came Niles’ voice from startlingly close by. Leo flinched.

“I didn’t hear you come in,” he said, putting on a smooth smile and pretending he hadn’t naturally recoiled from being surprised by Niles’ presence. Thankfully, Niles chose not to focus on that.

“Is something troubling you?” asked Niles. Leo shook his head.

“It’s nothing,” he said. “I was just considering some matters of importance.”

“Matters of importance,” Niles repeated blankly. Leo felt a spark of irritation - despite how good he had had to become at lying as a result of growing up under King Garon, Niles always seemed to be able to see right through him. At times it was helpful; other times, he wondered in frustration how it was possible that he was so transparent to Niles specifically.

“Yes, Niles, that's what I said. I would prefer not to talk about it though. I fear I’ve already given myself quite enough of a headache for one day.” Much to Leo’s relief, Niles didn't press the matter. He just laughed softly.

“You should think a bit less, milord.” Niles leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head. It was clear that he was trying to pass this off as a casual remark, but Leo knew better; both of his retainers tended to be very concerned about him. This was just a case of  _ Niles  _ being the transparent one for a change. Leo decided to humor him.

“Maybe so,” he shrugged.

“The aching blood in my veins has drawn me back to our dark abode!” Odin interrupted before Niles could mention that he knew Leo had essentially just said ‘no’. After glancing from Niles to Leo and back again, Odin sat down on the bed facing theirs, having realized that he'd probably interrupted something important. He lowered his voice dramatically but spoke seriously. “... Is everything alright?”

“Yes, everything is fine,” Leo said, to which Niles just nodded. Odin sighed in relief.

“Good,” he said. “I thought something… Dark and sinister had happened.”

“The only dark thing here is my sense of humor,” said Niles casually, earning himself an offended look from Odin and a poorly-disguised snicker from Leo.

“What about me? I carry the cursed blood within my veins! I am Odin Dark, the enigma that-”

“-won't shut up,” Niles finished for him.

“You never let me have any fun,” pouted Odin. While they continued their light-hearted banter, Leo looked at them and couldn't stop the slight grin that was creeping onto his face. The Trio of Destiny, however tacky that name was, continued to feel more like home than the large empty castle Leo had left that day. He was grateful for the two of them, even if he never said so verbally.

That night, as Leo was lying in bed trying to go to sleep, a thought crossed his mind. He hadn't ever been to this place in Hoshido before, and that meant he could be meeting new people.  _ Could my soulmate be among them? _ he wondered. That was the last thought on his mind before he drifted to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some interesting developments in this chapter - Leo's getting closer to Hoshido, and Takumi is... salty. I'm very excited to be writing the next chapter, but I probably won't be able to upload it until the first weekend of November. We'll see though!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter is REALLY late because I had a ton of work to do for uni these past few weeks... But not to worry, I've got every chapter planned out up until the end! And with that, here's Chapter Four!

**** The following morning, Leo and his retainers had all of half an hour of peace to get ready before Leo spotted an odd shimmer in the corner of the room. He resisted the urge to groan loudly, instead standing up and mentally bracing himself for the most frustrating experience a human being can suffer through: a conversation with Iago, his father’s top advisor. Niles and Odin both reflexively stepped just a little bit closer to Leo. Iago’s outline appeared.

“Greetings, Prince Leo. I do hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said as soon as his form had taken shape. Leo put on a thin smile.

“Not at all. Does Father have a message for me?”

“He does, as a matter of fact.” Iago reached into a pocket and withdrew a scroll with what Leo immediately recognized as the official seal of King Garon himself.  _ Oh, this is bad.  _ “This is to take priority over your current mission, as a matter of fact.”

Leo took the scroll but made no motion to open it. He stared at Iago, waiting for an explanation with one eyebrow quirked. After clearing his throat, Iago grinned smugly and announced the true purpose of his visit.

“It is my privilege to inform you that Crown Prince Xander has found his soulmate.”

In that moment, Leo was grateful for his many, many years of experience at masking his emotions. It would have felt degrading to openly show surprise in front of someone like Iago. When he’d realized he would be dealing with Iago, this had not been the information he’d been expecting to receive, that much was for sure. Xander finding his soulmate was unexpected in and of itself, but for it to happen only a short while after Leo left the castle… It felt like a very odd coincidence. He forced the plastic smile to stay on his face.

“I see,” he said. “And I suppose he will be marrying the lucky one soon then.”

“That’s right. King Garon has tasked you with the duty of delivering the most important of all the invitations he is extending for the wedding ceremony - an invitation for the Hoshidan royal family, of course. The precise time and day is detailed in the scroll I’ve just given you. I trust that you have no issues with carrying out the King’s orders?”

“Of course not.” At that, Iago’s needlessly smug expression grew even more unbearable. Leo barely resisted the urge to punch him, if only because the form he was speaking to was nothing more than an illusion.

“Perfect. Then I’ll leave this matter in your capable hands,” Iago said, and with that, he vanished. A sigh went around the room.

Leo stared at the scroll in his hand. Part of him wanted to tear it open and see whether there was anything in the contents of the invitation that would explain the irritating look on Iago’s face. Then again, he reminded himself, it would be nothing short of disgraceful to deliver a pre-opened scroll to a royal family.  _ As if it isn’t disgraceful enough to let me play the part of a messenger-boy anyway,  _ Leo thought, considering belatedly that this was at least part of the reason for Iago’s smugness. An odd feeling began to settle in his gut when he continued to consider what had just happened. He shook his head.

“... I suppose this means we should head for the capital immediately,” Leo finally said.

“I’ll ready our horses,” said Niles, bowing and heading out of the room. Before long, the trio were on their way, none of them actually having voiced their concerns about the situation as a whole. Leo tried his best to ignore his uneasy gut feeling.

 

It had been a little while now since she had first arrived at the castle, but Takumi could not seem to adjust to Kamui’s presence as easily as everyone else seemed to. Hinoka in particular had just been so damn  _ delighted  _ to have Kamui around. She had dragged her sister off to introduce her to Subaki and the three of them just got along so  _ well _ right away, like neither Subaki nor Hinoka had any misgivings about the situation at all. It all left a bad taste in Takumi’s mouth. Surely he couldn’t be the only one in the whole castle who had their doubts? Kamui had shown up out of nowhere - and sure, she’d brought Kaze with her, but that didn’t mean they should all blindly trust her. Sister or no, Takumi just wasn’t buying her whole spiel. And if that meant that everyone would keep nagging at him about how grumpy he supposedly was, well, that was a consequence he was willing to deal with.

… At least, that’s what he told himself. Deep down he was very glad that Oboro and Hinata always stood by his decisions and his beliefs.

Takumi was so busy thinking about the whole situation with Kamui that he didn’t notice her calling for him from somewhere close by. He rounded a corner and, as fate would have it, walked right into her.

“Ah, there you are,” she said cheerfully when she saw who had bumped into her.

“Can I help you?” Takumi asked in an icy voice. Kamui’s smile faded a little.

“I was just hoping to get the chance to chat to you.”

“Well, here I am,” he said curtly. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Um…” Evidently, Kamui had not been expecting Takumi to be quite so distant with her. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger as she thought about it. Takumi crossed his arms. “Well, I haven’t really had the chance to get to know you at all, so maybe you could tell me a little about yourself!”

_ I have better things to do than that,  _ Takumi barely stopped himself from saying. If he was outright rude to Kamui, his older siblings would probably have another stern word with him about it, and he really didn’t feel like having  _ that  _ conversation again. The thought crossed his mind that he’d missed a brilliant chance to pretend he didn’t speak her language the first time they’d met, but it was too late for that by now anyway. He sighed.

“I don’t really have time to do that right now. I was heading -”  _ Quick, think of an excuse!  _ “- to the archery range.”

“Oh, okay. Can I come with you and watch?” she asked.

“Fine, but don’t distract me while I’m training, got it?” Kamui nodded. Without another word, Takumi lead the way towards the range, feeling rather pleased with himself for having come up with a way to spend time with Kamui that did not involve talking to her.

Takumi actually got a chance to practice in peace for a good fifteen minutes. He surprised himself with how little he minded Kamui’s company; true to her word, she kept quiet while he lined up his shots. Whenever he hit a target dead-center she’d even clap. Every time he glanced over at her, she was smiling.  _ … Maybe she’s not so bad after all _ , Takumi caught himself thinking. He shook his head and took another shot, hitting the target just off the center.

“Wow, nice,” said Setsuna’s voice from behind him. Takumi flinched.

“Way to go sneaking up on someone,” he said.

“Oh, was I sneaking? Sorry…” Setsuna stared into space for a good three seconds before catching sight of Kamui. “Hi, Princess Kamui.”

“Hello, Setsuna. Are you also here to practice?” asked Kamui. When Setsuna nodded, Kamui took it as a cue to strike up a conversation with her. Takumi rolled his eyes.  _ Go figure. Someone more interesting shows up and she replaces me right away. Why do I bother in the first place? _ With that thought in mind, he gathered his things and strode briskly out of the range, ignoring the voices calling after him.

 

By the time evening came around, Takumi had put the encounter with Kamui out of his mind, choosing instead to spend the day running errands with his retainers. He was actually in a pretty good mood by the time he went to the dinner hall, and it only increased when he found out that the menu for the night included miso soup. Afterwards, he went for a walk with Hinata.

Or, he tried to.

Just as he and Hinata were about to leave the castle, they heard Azura’s voice behind them, calling for Takumi to wait a moment.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“An important message has arrived,” Azura explained when she was close enough to not have to shout. “Queen Mikoto wants all of us to be there when she opens it. Since I remembered you saying you were going outside, I thought I’d save time and come find you myself.”

“What kind of message is it?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Let’s go find out then,” said Takumi.

The three of them set off; when they reached the reception hall, Takumi dismissed Hinata. Then he and Azura nodded to one another and headed through the door.

Inside, Mikoto sat on the throne with Hinoka and Ryoma standing on either side. In front of her, the three messengers waited silently; based on their clothes, Takumi guessed that they must have come here from Nohr. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the room for any signs of a trap. A little ways to the left, Yukimura watched the messengers with wary eyes and crossed arms, keeping Sakura close to him.  _ Good,  _ thought Takumi,  _ at least someone still has their common sense. _ He and Azura walked over to Mikoto and stood beside Hinoka. Takumi couldn’t help but notice that Kamui was not present.

“One of my daughters is absent, but we will inform her of your message later. Please deliver it now,” Mikoto said with a cordial smile. Two of the strangers bowed while the middle one took a step forward.

“I am Leo, second prince of Nohr,” he said, and immediately a chill seemed to sweep the room. Only Mikoto continued to smile. “I have been sent here on behalf of my father to extend an invitation to you.”

“Oh?” Mikoto’s eyebrows arched slightly, but the warm expression on her face never faltered. Leo reached into a pocket and produced the same scroll Iago had given him a few days ago and held it out to Hinoka, who stepped forward to take it from him.

“My brother Xander, the crown prince, is to be married soon. My father thought it prudent to invite you and your family to the ceremony,” Leo said, taking care to keep his face and voice neutral. Before Mikoto or any of her children could say anything, the door behind Leo opened and Kamui entered the room. Her eyes fell on Leo and she let out an audible gasp, causing Leo to turn around. His masked expression melted.

“Kamui?” he asked in disbelief.

“Leo!” she shouted, racing across the room and throwing her arms around him. “Oh, Leo, I can’t believe you’re here!”

The Hoshidan royal family looked on while Leo awkwardly returned Kamui’s hug, patting her back and trying to repress a smile. Nobody really knew what to say, Leo included, so nobody said anything. When Kamui finally loosened her hold on her brother, her eyes were moist.

“I really wasn’t expecting to find you here,” said Leo. Kamui’s cheeks colored.

“I… I may have forgotten to mention that Kaze is a retainer to the royal family,” she said sheepishly. Leo gave her a look and she relented. “Okay, I knew I was going to be coming to the palace and not Kaze’s ninja clan. But Xander would’ve never let me go if he’d known!”

“You mean to say that you lied to us.” Leo’s eyes hardened and Kamui felt panic start to settle in her chest.

“Leo, I had no choice. You knew it too - I couldn’t have stayed in Nohr, or Father would’ve had me killed and Kaze, well... Anyway, Kaze offered me a way out and I had to take it. Please, you have to understand.” She stared at him with wide eyes, praying that their reunion wouldn’t go sour so quickly.  _ If I can just get Leo to listen, the others will follow and surely they’ll forgive me,  _ Kamui thought, holding on to that hope as she continued to stare into her brother’s eyes. Leo though everything over and slowly nodded, sending a wave of relief washing over Kamui.

“You’re right, Sister. I don’t like it, but you’re right,” he said.

“I hate to interrupt,” Ryoma cut in, “but could one of you explain what’s going on?”

Kamui turned to her Hoshidan family. Ryoma, Hinoka, Mikoto, and Sakura were all watching her eagerly; Takumi tried very hard not to show it, but he was just as interested in this story. She took a deep breath.

“I’ve told you all about my childhood in Nohr and the family I had to leave behind when I came here. Leo is my younger brother. I didn’t think I’d be able to see him again for many years, if at all, so I’m… I’m really happy to have this unexpected chance to talk to him now. When I left Nohr, I couldn’t tell my family where Kaze and I were actually going, so I...”

_ He’s not her family, we are,  _ whispered the ugly voice at the back of Takumi’s head, blocking out the rest of what Kamui was saying.  _ Why does she care more about that stupid guy than about us? About me?  _ He was barely able to suppress the unpleasant shiver that ran down his spine at the thought. 

“Prince Leo, perhaps you should deliver the same news to Kamui that you just told us about,” Mikoto said. Kamui looked at Leo.

“What’s happened?”

“Xander met his soulmate. They’re going to be married soon, and the Hoshidan royal family is invited to the wedding,” he repeated.

“Wait, really?” Kamui smiled widely at him. “That’s so wonderful! Do you know who it is?”

“No, he met this person after I had already left the castle on a mission.” Leo was starting to put his guard back up - he hadn’t missed the suspicious looks Takumi was throwing his way, or the fact that every last person in the room was waiting to hear what his next words would be. He was glad his retainers were beside him.

“And Father invited the  _ whole _ Hoshidan royal family?” Kamui then asked.

“It appears he did.”

“Maybe he’s finally opening up to the idea of a friendship between our two nations!”

_ Yeah, right. The idea makes  _ me _ sick, why would Father even consider such a thing?  _ Leo thought to himself, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything negative when his sister was watching him with those bright eyes of hers that seemed to have a persuasive power of their own even when Kamui wasn’t saying anything. Not to mention that the Hoshidan royals were all right there. Instead, he dismissed the matter with a ‘perhaps so’ before turning his attention back to Queen Mikoto, plastering on a polite smile.

“In the name of my family, thank you for taking our sister in,” he said in his most formal tone. He waited for Mikoto to nod before continuing. “If you don’t mind me changing the topic, when can we expect to hear your response to the wedding invitation?”

“I shall discuss the matter and have a response for you by the end of the day tomorrow,” she replied. Leo masked his surprise at the short time estimate.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Until then, we would like to offer you our hospitality. Yukimura, please show Prince Leo and his retainers to the guest rooms.” She waved her hand and Yukimura bowed, then began to lead the way out of the room. Leo followed with his retainers. Once they had left the room, Kamui immediately asked if she could go and speak to her brother. Mikoto said she was free to do as she pleased, so Kamui rushed off after Leo.

“She really seems to care about her Nohrian… family,” Hinoka said. The way she said the last word made it sound as if it was physically painful for her to pronounce it. Takumi scoffed but said nothing. Mikoto chose to overlook the comment. After that, the royal children (save Ryoma) were dismissed so that Mikoto could call a meeting to discuss the topic of Xander’s upcoming wedding. Takumi marched out of the room with an uneasy feeling in his gut. In the back of his mind, he registered Azura making to ask him something, but he walked faster so he wouldn’t have to talk to anyone. He had a lot to think about.

_ She clearly cares more about this Leo person than any of us.  _ No matter what Takumi did, that thought kept plaguing him.

The rest of that day passed by in a blur. Takumi couldn’t seem to concentrate properly on anything - the mental image of Kamui running towards this Prince Leo and almost crying just from seeing him wouldn’t leave him alone. He couldn’t shake the nasty feeling of jealousy it stirred in him.  _ Why does she love some Nohrian more than her own family? And then she wonders why I don’t trust her. _

He was so lost in thoughts that he only realized he’d wandered out into one of the castle courtyards when he almost walked straight into a tree. Shaking his head, he told himself that an early night would help to clear his head. A full moon shone overhead and illuminated the path back into the castle. He began walking back along that path when something in his peripheral vision caught his attention, so he decided to investigate, wasting no time in creeping closer to the source of the movement.  _ Good thing the moon is full tonight. It’ll be easier to see who’s out here _ , he thought to himself as he hid behind a tree to check who it was.

When he realized it was Prince Leo, he was quick to step out of the shadows.

“What are you doing here?” Takumi demanded. Leo regarded him coldly.

“That’s none of your business,” he said.

“Excuse me? I’m a prince of Hoshido. What someone is doing in our gardens is  _ every bit  _ my business,” Takumi replied, matching Leo’s snappy tone. Raising one eyebrow, Leo regarded him for a moment before shaking his head.

“My apologies,” he said, sounding like he didn’t mean it at all. “I didn’t recognize you from earlier. You were half-hidden behind one of your sisters, after all.”

_ What kind of nerve- _

“Milord, there you are, I’ve been looking for you all over!” Oboro called from close by. She headed over to Takumi and made a point of not sparing Leo so much as one glance. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Takumi almost wished that Oboro  _ would  _ look at Leo - her scary expression around Nohrians was sure to wipe the smug look off his face.

“I was just about to go back inside,” said Takumi. “Let’s go, Oboro.”

With that, Takumi and Oboro walked off together. There was a strange tingling feeling in Takumi’s stomach, but he ignored it. He was too busy trying to process the lingering irritation he felt after his encounter with Prince Leo - a Nohrian prince who thought he could sass Takumi like that.  _ Really, the audacity, _ Takumi thought.  _ I hope he leaves soon. _

“Is everything alright?” Oboro asked, stopping Takumi’s train of thoughts abruptly.

“I’m fine.” Takumi tried to put on a smile but gave up quickly when Oboro raised an eyebrow. He sighed. “It’s that Nohrian prince. He was being a real jerk, you know?”

“Yeah, that’s Nohrians for you,” she muttered bitterly. Realizing she was half talking to herself at this point, Oboro pulled herself out of her thoughts and returned to the topic at hand. “But it’ll do no good to keep thinking about it. Don’t worry, milord - he’s only staying until Queen Mikoto decides what to do about that wedding invitation, Yukimura told us all about it. That Prince Leo will be gone in no time at all and then you won’t have to deal with him again for a long time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interesting idea, Oboro ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Also, I just wanted to say thank you to all of the lovely people who have left reviews, every single one made me really happy to read!! <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, I'm not dead! I didn't intend to take such a long break from this fanfic, I've just been super caught up with university work... Rest assured I'm set on completing it though! And with that, here's chapter 5!

“What do you _mean_ they’re staying for two more weeks?!” Takumi stared at Orochi in dismay. She just shrugged, regarding Takumi with the same mischievous grin she always seemed to wear.

“We can’t do anything about the incoming hurricane, sudden as its appearance may be. And it would be really rude to send our royal guest and his retainers off to face a tropical storm, or so Lady Mikoto tells me,” she replied.

“Yeah, I get that, but why _two weeks_?” asked Takumi.

“Prince Leo and company would be traveling by the main road,” Orochi explained. “Just a few miles south of the capital, there’s a giant old tree that was in the process of being cut down, but unfortunately the workers were unable to finish that project before the hurricane warning was issued an hour or two ago. I did a reading and the cards told me that the tree is going to fall right onto the road. Repairing the damage - even on the most basic level - will take roughly two weeks.”

“Ugh,” Takumi sighed. “That’s just wonderful.”

“Isn’t it?” _I hate it when you ignore my sarcasm,_ Takumi thought as he made a face. Orochi continued to smile at him. “And what’s even better is that milady asked me to tell you that she wants you to be Prince Leo’s guide for as long as he’s here.”

“Um, _what_?” Takumi stared at Orochi with such wide eyes that she couldn’t help but burst into laughter immediately, doubling over and clutching her stomach. The metaphorical storm clouds in Takumi’s eyes were dark enough to easily outdo the oncoming hurricane. He was positively scowling by the time Orochi finally stopped laughing.

“Sorry,” she said.

“Whatever. What did you mean by ‘be his guide’? Can’t he just stay in the castle and be quiet or something?”

“Can’t _you_?” Orochi countered, holding up her hands in a surrendering gesture when Takumi glared at her. “Alright, calm down.”

“Why? I don’t want to be a babysitter. I don’t wanna talk to any of those Nohrians at all, if I can help it. Can’t she make Hinoka do it? I’m sure Subaki would love to help out and tell the Hoshidans all about how perfect he is.” Takumi crossed his arms and muttered the last part.

“Listen, if you really don’t want to do this, you can take it up with Lady Mikoto. She said something about how you and Prince Leo are really very similar and how this would benefit both of you though, so I really doubt she’ll budge. But by all means, go ahead and try. Good day, Prince Takumi~!” With that, Orochi sauntered off down the hallway, leaving Takumi with the bitter taste of a lost argument in his mouth. He was _nothing_ like that snobby Nohrian prince, Takumi was sure of that, but there was no chance of getting Orochi to listen to him.

 

Leo sat on the edge of his guest bed. Kamui had come to visit him after breakfast and had stuck around long enough that he was starting to feel hungry again, but he didn’t pay it much mind. Even if she had to be staying in Hoshido’s royal palace, of all places, he was still relieved that she was safe. That morning, she’d told him the full story about her cross-country escape trip - including everything Mikoto had said about her true heritage. When she’d talked about being Mikoto’s daughter, Leo had felt a lump settle in his throat that only dissolved the moment she read something in his expression and quickly declared that she still thought of the Nohrian royal siblings as her family. He allowed a small smile.

“Thank you, Kamui,” he said simply. She positively beamed.

“Of course! You’ll always be my little brother, Leo. And that means I get to tell you when your collar’s inside out.”

“Is it-”

“Not this time,” Kamui laughed while Leo automatically reached for the offending piece of clothing to check on it, just in case. He looked back at her with a serious expression and she stopped laughing; then they started again, together this time. It felt like a weight had been lifted from Leo’s shoulders. After that, the conversation flowed easily between the two of them, as if they’d never been separated at all. By the time Kamui had to leave, Leo was in a particularly good mood. He decided that he’d ask one of the servants to show him where the nearest library was - if he was going to be trapped in a castle far from home, at least he could take the chance to learn something along the way.

Just as he was going to open his door, a knock resounded from the other side of it. _Must be Niles or Odin,_ Leo thought as he reached for the doorknob.

“Prince Leo, was it?” Takumi asked the second the door opened. Leo blinked in surprise but quickly recovered with a thin smile.

“Yes, that’s me. I don’t believe we were formally introduced. Based on what Kamui told me, I presume you are Prince Takumi, correct?” said Leo.

“Yeah.” Takumi crossed his arms. “Apparently I’m supposed to be your guide.”

“Thank you for the gesture. I don’t need a guide though,” Leo said in as polite of a voice as he could muster, attempting to step past Takumi. Of course, Takumi got right back into his way.

“Well, my mother says you do, and she says it’s gotta be me, so that’s too bad.” Ordinarily, he wouldn’t be _this_ frank with a stranger. However, he figured that with how rude Leo had been to him the previous night, it was entirely deserved, especially since Leo was a Nohrian prince and all. Frustratingly enough, Leo only responded by raising one eyebrow, showing no other signs of irritation.

“I suppose I can’t defy what Queen Mikoto says.” He couldn’t resist the urge to scoff. “Even if it means having to put up with you.”

“What’s your problem with me? You don’t even know me!” Takumi protested.

“You didn’t know _me_ yesterday in the reception hall, and yet you felt the need to glare at me before I’d said even one word,” Leo replied sharply. Their eyes locked as they entered some kind of unspoken staring contest, each narrowing his eyes ever so slightly after a few seconds. They were interrupted only when the neighboring door opened and Niles came sauntering out of it.

“Good afternoon, milord. Are you picking fights with the Hoshidan royals? Can I help?” he asked casually. Takumi _almost_ glared at Niles instead of Leo.

“I think Lord Leo’s got this,” Odin stage-whispered as he peeked out from behind Niles. The question of what in the world those two were doing popped up in the back of Leo’s mind, but he chose not to focus on it. After all, his retainers were always doing strange things in the name of serving him. By this point he was used to it.

“We’re not fighting,” Leo and Takumi said simultaneously, with varying degrees of fake smiles. Niles nudged Odin, who snickered.

“Oh, of course you’re not,” Niles said. “Well, milord, if you do decide to pick fights, you know who to call.”

“... Right. Thanks.”

With that, Niles and Odin headed off down the hall in the other direction from where Leo and Takumi were. Odin mumbled something which neither of the princes caught; apparently it was funny though, because they certainly did hear Niles laughing. They looked back at one another.

“Excuse my retainers, they…” Leo started to say before he realized at once that he didn’t want to offer any apology to Takumi and that even if he did, he could find no way to explain his retainers. Fortunately Takumi didn’t linger on it.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go,” he replied.

“Where are you taking me?” asked Leo. Takumi rolled his eyes.

“I’m not trying to kidnap you. My mother said to be your guide, so I’m giving you a tour of the castle. Got a problem with that?”

“No,” said Leo after a moment’s hesitation. “I suppose not.”

 

That castle, as it turned out, was very beautiful. Every hall was bright with natural light. That was some contrast to Krakenburg, which always seemed to be dark no matter how many candles and torches were brought into a room. Leo couldn’t help but be impressed. He didn’t say anything though - and neither did Takumi, beyond naming the purposes of all the rooms. It was a sort of unspoken truce between them, Leo thought. They couldn’t argue without talking, after all. By the time they’d looped around to where the main library was, Leo still hadn’t really said anything and it was beginning to get awkward, so he cleared his throat. Takumi looked at him.

“Do you have any texts on the history of your nation?” he asked.

“Yeah, obviously. Why?” said Takumi defensively, as if Leo was planning to hit him around the head with one of those books the second he got his hands on it. _What a child,_ Leo thought.

“Because I enjoy reading history books. Is that a crime now?”

“No, I was just…” Takumi considered his words for a moment before starting again. “Do you, by any chance, read those books to study the strategy behind past battles?”

“... How did you know that?” Leo asked. Based on the fact that the look in Takumi’s eyes immediately became less prickly, Takumi probably did the same thing. That came as a pleasant surprise. Few people enjoyed that hobby quite as much as Leo did, and he’d certainly not been expecting to have anything in common with this Hoshidan prince.

“Just a guess. I mean, I do the same, so I just thought I’d ask.” His tone was a lot friendlier than it had been earlier, Leo noted.

With that, the two of them headed into the library and made a beeline for the history section, where they each grabbed a book and sat down to read it. Takumi thought about how much easier this whole babysitting-that-isn’t-babysitting job would be if he could just come and read in the library with Leo until he left. _Maybe I judged this guy too soon,_ Takumi thought. _When he’s reading and not snapping at me, he isn’t half so bad._

Then he realized that he was watching Leo and quickly dropped his gaze back to his book. Somehow, the idea of being caught looking at Leo made him feel flustered.

Leo, meanwhile, found himself entirely engrossed in the large history tome Takumi had presented him with. Back in Nohr, resources that painted anything but a very one-sided picture of Hoshido were hard to come by, and he was pleasantly surprised at how fascinating Hoshido’s history was. In the back of his mind he thought that Takumi had pretty good taste in books.

That evening, Takumi lead the way to the dinner hall and they arrived five minutes early. Taking their seats, they sat in silence for thirty seconds before Takumi couldn’t take it anymore.

“How was that book?” he asked awkwardly.

“Very interesting, actually. Thank you for recommending it,” Leo replied in a surprisingly polite voice, which made Takumi raise his eyebrows.

“I didn’t realize you could be nice,” he said.

“Of course I can. I’m a prince of Nohr. I can ill afford to be as arrogant or grumpy as you seem to be most of the time.” He didn’t even say it in the same haughty voice he’d used earlier, but Takumi still really wanted to punch Leo in the face. _Never mind about him not being insufferable,_ he commented mentally. The corners of Leo’s mouth turned upwards. Takumi pulled a face.

“Whatever. At least I’m not some jerk who shows up unannounced and starts acting all condescending for no reason,” he quipped.

“Petty name-calling? How childish,” said Leo, as if he hadn’t started that name-calling in the first place. Takumi scoffed and crossed his arms, glaring hard at the wall on the opposite side of the room from Leo. If he looked at the guy now, their argument would only progress, and Mikoto would definitely be upset with Takumi for not ‘keeping the peace’, or something along those lines. No, Takumi decided, he’d be the bigger person and just not say another word. Leo had been very tolerable when they’d avoided speaking earlier, after all. Silence fell.

When the rest of the Hoshidan royal family entered the dining hall, Takumi and Leo still weren’t saying a word to one another. None of them seemed to notice though.

 

The rest of that week passed by in a blur. Every day, Takumi would find Leo after breakfast and then the two of them would head to the library, speaking as little as they could in the process. From the library they would head straight to dinner, and afterwards, Leo’s retainers would show up to escort him back to his room and Takumi would have the rest of the evening to himself.

They really didn’t argue much when they weren’t speaking. In fact, on the surface, they got along fine. There just wasn’t much room for bonding when all they seemed to do was be silent or start fights. Takumi often found himself secretly observing Leo for lack of other ways to learn more about him.

It was during dinner in the evening of Leo’s fifth day at the castle that he realized Leo was barely eating anything. Throughout the duration of the meal, Takumi couldn’t stop mentally debating with himself whether he should say anything about it. On the one hand, Leo was insufferable. On the other hand… It was supposed to be Takumi’s job to make sure Leo was at least decently comfortable here, and he couldn’t do that if the guy wasn’t eating properly. Morality clearly pointed him in one direction, Leo’s personality in another. While he ate his dessert, he noticed that Leo wasn’t even touching the tasty mochi the cooks had prepared, and that gave Takumi the push to try and catch a word with him after dinner.

“Hey,” Takumi said before Leo could leave.

“Is there something you need?” Leo replied in what Takumi considered a needlessly unfriendly voice. He did his best to overlook it, chalking the attitude up to the fact that Leo was surely hungry.

“I, um,” he began. Then he realized that for all of his mental debating, he hadn’t actually thought about what he wanted to say to Leo. He cleared his throat. “Do you not like the food here?”

Leo certainly looked taken aback by the question.

“Why are you asking?” he said.

“I just figured since you spent more time poking everything than actually eating it, well…” Takumi said, shuffling his feet. Gods, why was this such a needlessly difficult conversation? He looked up and, to his surprise, found that Leo looked embarrassed.

“I did not mean to offend.”

“Right, yeah, I know that,” Takumi lied. “I just wanted to know if you didn’t like the food, that’s all. I don’t even think anyone else noticed, for what it’s worth.”

“No, it’s not the food,” said Leo. Takumi frowned.

“Then what is it?”

“Your… Your eating utensils.” Silence fell between them as Takumi stared at Leo with a nonplussed expression, waiting for an explanation. Leo glanced away and back again. “In Nohr, we eat everything with forks and knives. And spoons, of course, but it doesn’t seem that Hoshidan cuisine features much soup.”

“Oh, you don’t know how to use chopsticks? Why didn’t you just say so? I can show you how,” Takumi said simply. He found it hard to believe, but then again, he’d spent his whole life using chopsticks and he really couldn’t blame Leo for not understanding how to eat with them. Sakura had had a hard time as well when she was younger, Takumi recalled. He offered a small smile. To his surprise, Leo returned it - or rather, he frowned with less intensity than usual.

“I would appreciate that, thank you,” he said.

“Right, well, let’s do that tomorrow then. Goodnight, Prince Leo.” With that, Takumi turned and headed off down the hallway.

The next day, after their chopstick-lesson, Leo and Takumi found themselves close to the kitchen together near lunchtime for the first time. Leo suggested that they eat something together since they were here anyway, and Takumi immediately knew what to order.

“Mee-so soup?” Leo asked when Takumi told him.

“Yes, it’s a Hoshidan dish. It’s my favorite, actually. Since you said yesterday that we don’t have much soup here, I figured that meant you liked soup, so…” Takumi’s voice trailed off and he felt the need to put a defensive note into his voice when he added: “I mean, was I wrong or something?”

“No, no. I really enjoy soup, as a matter of fact,” said Leo.

“I guess we have that in common then,” Takumi replied.

“Yes, it seems we do. Just as we share a taste for history books.” Leo considered for a moment, then ventured to ask another question. “Tell me, do you play chess in Hoshido? It’s a tactical board game that-”

“We have a version called shogi. I’m the best player in my whole family,” Takumi replied.

“... Yet another thing we share.” Leo and Takumi regarded each other in silence for a beat, then Leo allowed a rare smile that Takumi returned.

“You know, maybe you’re not so bad after all,” Takumi said, which made Leo want to laugh.

“Neither are you,” he said. “It’s difficult to find fault with someone when they clearly have such excellent taste.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” said Takumi, and with that, the two of them went off to make a request for miso soup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can probably tell, the bonding scenes between these two came largely from their in-game supports. Not much happened on the soulmate front - that's most certainly coming up quickly though!


End file.
